84A NATURAL HISTORY PANOPTICONepistemic parameters, Gesner’s work also demonstrated new awareness
of the importance images could play in the study of animals. In the preface
of the first volume, he states that “princes of the Roman Empire used to
exhibit exotic animals in order to overwhelm and conquer the minds of
the populace, but those animals could be seen or inspected only for a
short time while the shows lasted; in contrast, the pictures in the Histo-
riae animalium could be seen whenever and forever, without effort or
danger.”^39 This new conception of images shifted the relevance of animal
representation from the symbolism of the theological field to a more em-
pirical realm of concern where animals could be “seen or inspected.”
Another substantial innovation in Gesner’s book was the inclusion of
exotic animals arriving in Europe from the far north, the New World,
FIGURE 2.3 “Ostrich” and “Flamingo,” illustrations in Gesner, C. (1551–1587), Historiae
Animalium (Tigvri: Apvd Christ. Froschovervm), vol. 3, p. 708 and p.690. Open-
access images courtesy of the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland.